Bread
While we went wild for pasta in all its glossy guises last year, in 2019 we’ll go bonkers for bread, as our fractious political situation will see us all seek comfort from carbs. The trend is already happening in some of London’s hip hangouts, like Bright in Hackney, where the humble katsu sando is causing a stir.
Originally from Japan, Brifght’s take on the sarnie features breaded pork slathered in mayo and chilli sauce rammed inside crustless cubes of white bread alongside crispy shards of shredded cabbage.
A number of London venues are coming up with their own twists on the snack. Tata Eatery serves theirs with raspberry jam for a sweet kick and a pepper-based riff on kimchi, while Two Lights on Kingsland Road, from the team behind The Clove Club, freestyles on the original by substituting pork for deep fried sardine.
Sarnies in general will be given the gourmet treatment this year. At Cora Pearl you’ll find a pimped-up ham and cheese toastie made with strips of pork jowl served as a trio of finger sandwiches with a dinky pot of chutney.
Catching on to London’s love of bread, canny restaurateurs keen to stay afloat in our turbulent times are opening hybrid venues that serve as bakeries by day and morph into wine bars at night. One of the first to do so was Jolene in Newington Green, from the team behind Westerns Laundry, which offers piping hot homemade breads at daybreak and natural wines and craft ciders in the evening.
Another chef to catch onto the trend is James Lowe of Lyle’s, who is set to open bakery/wine bar Flor next to Borough Market this spring, where all of the bread and pastries will be made in-house from British wheat milled at Lyle’s, and can be bought to take away.
